Paul Stirling brought up his maiden T20I hundred to give Ireland a 2-1 lead in the five-match series against Zimbabwe. Ireland won by 40 runs at the Bready Cricket Club, Northern Ireland. Stirling almost single-handedly took Ireland to 178/2 after they were asked to bat. In reply, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 138 in 18.2 overs.
Earlier, Ireland had not got the best of starts, as Stirling and Kevin O'Brien (9) only managed 32 in 35 balls before Luke Jongwe got O'Brien with the second-last ball of the Powerplay.
Stirling took charge from there. He first added 77 with Andrew Balbirnie (31 in 24 balls), and then an unbroken 69-run stand with Shane Getkate (19* in 11) to pile a massive total. He finished on 115 not out in 75 balls, with eight fours and as many sixes.
For Zimbabwe, Ryan Burl (1-30) and Wesley Madhevere (0-11) were the only bowlers to go for under eight an over.
Zimbabwe’s highest successful chase in T20Is was 172, but they took 14 off Stirling’s opening over to set the tone. Mark Adair (3-11) provided a much-needed breakthrough for Ireland in the next over, dismissing Madhevere (13). Zimbabwe lost two more wickets in the next five overs, but were still scoring runs with urgency. They reached 50 in the Powerplay.
Coming at No. 5, Craig Ervine played a quickfire 18-ball 33, but got little support from the middle order batters. He and Burl (26 in 23) were the only Zimbabweans who scored in excess of 15 as wickets fell in regular intervals.
Josh Little (2-18), Getkate (2-32), and Benjamin White (2-23) claimed two wickets each as they wrapped Zimbabwe up with 10 balls to spare.
Brief Scores: Ireland 178/2 in 20 overs (Paul Stirling 115*; Ryan Burl 1-30) beat Zimbabwe 138 in 18.2 overs (Craig Ervine 33; Mark Adair 3-11) by 40 runs. Player of the Match: Paul Stirling.